Ron Massey Cup


The Ron Massey Cup is a semi-professional development level rugby league competition in New South Wales, Australia, run by the New South Wales Rugby League. The competition is run concurrently with the National Rugby League. It currently comprises 13 teams drawn from the Sydney metropolitan area. The competition is named after Ron Massey, a former rugby league coach. Ron Massey died on 19 September 2016.
The competition is an expanded version of the former Metropolitan Cup and Second Division competitions. The competition was renamed the Bundaberg Red Cup after the 2008 season, after Bundaberg Rum replaced former sponsor Jim Beam. For the 2013 season, the competition was re-branded as the Ron Massey Cup in honour of the former coach, tactician, mentor and administrator.

Clubs

Ten teams will compete in the 2025 Ron Massey Cup. The fixture list is available on the .
ColoursClubLocationStadiumPremiershipsFoundedJoined*
Blacktown WorkersBlacktown, New South WalesH.E. Laybutt Fields-19642012
Cabramatta Two BluesCabramatta, New South WalesNew Era Stadium201119192004
Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsBelmore, New South WalesHammondville Oval-19372023
Glebe Dirty RedsGlebe, New South WalesGoddard Park202419082015a
Hills District BullsBaulkham Hills, New South WalesCrestwood Oval202219642016
Mounties RLFCMount Pritchard, New South WalesAubrey Keech Reserve2015-1619272007
Penrith BrothersPenrith, New South WalesParker St Reserve-19682024
Ryde-Eastwood HawksRyde, New South WalesTG Milner Field1972, 1974-76, 1990, 200019622003b
St Marys SaintsSt Marys, New South WalesSt Marys Leagues Stadium1993-94, 2001, 202319082016c
Wentworthville MagpiesWentworthville, New South WalesRingrose Park1964-65, 1967-71, 1973, 1998-99, 2009-20, 2012-13, 2017-1919632003

*: The season the team joined is in the Jim Beam Cup/Bundaberg Red Cup/Ron Massey Cup, not any other competition before this.

a - Glebe previously competed as the Glebe-Burwood-Concord Wolves until 2021.

b - Ryde Eastwood did not compete from 2005 to 2020.

c - St Marys previously competed as a merged entity in 2003.

d ''- Western Suburbs did not compete in 2020.''

Former teams in the Ron Massey Cup


1 – Ourimbah withdrew from the competition midway through the 2005 season.

2 – Sydney Bulls withdrew from the competition midway through the 2011 season.

3 – St Johns Eagles joined the competition midway through the 2011 season, replacing the Sydney Bulls.

History

The Ron Massey Cup is the latest in a succession of Sydney-based second tier, semi-professional Rugby League competitions.

Inter-District/Second Division (1963–1973)

The second tier senior Rugby League competition in Sydney was the Inter-District Competition established in 1963 by the NSWRL. It was renamed the Second Division in 1964. Like succeeding competitions the Second Division had a high turnover of participating clubs. The 'promotion' of two of the two biggest clubs Penrith Panthers and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, at the conclusion of the 1966 season did not help the long-term stability of the competition.
During this period Wentworthville was the most successful club, competing in every grand final of the Second Division, winning a total of 8 premierships. Due to their domination of the competition 'Wenty' was widely considered the best candidate for promotion to the NSWRL Premiership when two positions were made available for the 1967 competition. Due to their proximity to Parramatta, where a Premiership club was established in 1947, the Magpies were overlooked.
YearPremiersScoreRunners-upWinning CoachReferee
1963 Kingsford9 – 7 Cronulla-Caringbah SharksCol Pearce
1964 Wentworthville Magpies20 – 5 Ryde-Eastwood HawksLewis JonesJack Harris
1965 Wentworthville Magpies31 – 3 Penrith PanthersLewis JonesKeith Holman
1966 Penrith Panthers9 – 7 Wentworthville MagpiesLeo TrevenaLin Turner
1967 Wentworthville Magpies25 – 6 Ryde-Eastwood HawksJohn Farrelly
1968 Wentworthville Magpies17 – 5 Arncliffe ScotsLewis JonesJohn Farrelly
1969 Wentworthville Magpies20 – 2 Sydney UniversityLewis JonesLes Samuelson
1970 Wentworthville Magpies15 – 5 Blacktown WorkersLewis JonesLaurie Bruyeres
1971 Wentworthville Magpies21 – 15 Sydney UniversityLewis JonesKeith Page
1972 Ryde-Eastwood Hawks18 – 14 Wentworthville MagpiesLaurie FaganKeith Page
1973 Wentworthville Magpies12 – 8 Ryde-Eastwood HawksD. RaynerDon Macdonald

The Metropolitan League (1974–1976)

The Second Division was reorganised in 1974 and renamed the Metropolitan League. It was dominated by the Ryde-Eastwood club. In the absence of Wentworthville, who competed in the Illawarra Rugby League competition, Ryde-Eastwood won all three Metropolitan League titles. The Metropolitan League was dismantled in 1976 and with it the idea of a second-tier competition.
YearPremiersScoreRunners-upWinning CoachReferee
1974 Ryde-Eastwood Hawks37 – 9 St Marys SaintsLaurie FaganD. MacDonald
1975 Ryde-Eastwood Hawks18 – 14 Windsor WolvesLaurie Fagan
1976 Ryde-Eastwood Hawks10 – 8 University of NSW

The Metropolitan Cup (1990–2002)

The concept of the second-tier competition was resurrected in 1990 with the establishment of the Metropolitan Cup. Many teams that were involved in the former Second Division and Metropolitan League were included in the new competition, including Ryde-Eastwood and Wentworthville. Other teams in the new competition included the Guildford Owls, Mount Pritchard, Bankstown Greyhounds, Western Suburbs Magpies and the Hills District Bulls. The Newtown Jets, who had been exiled from the New South Wales Rugby League premiership at the close of the 1983 season, were also granted admission into the competition in 1991 and became a successful club in their second life, winning 4 premierships.Other teams who competed in the cup over the years included St. Marys Saints, West Wollongong Red Devils, Moorebank Rams, UTS Roosters, Windsor Wolves, Cabramatta Blues, Sydney Bulls and the Kellyville Bushrangers
The final Metropolitan Cup was contested in 2002 and was won by a newly formed club, the Sydney Bulls, defeating Ryde-Eastwood in the last grand final of the Metropolitan Cup.
YearPremiersScoreRunners upWinning CoachReferee
1990 Ryde-Eastwood Hawks19 – 6 Hills District BullsKen WilsonPeter Filmer
1991 Guildford Owls21 – 6 Ryde-Eastwood HawksGreg PierceChris Ward
1992 Newtown Jets30 – 18 Wentworthville MagpiesB Wakefield
1993 St Marys Saints30 – 10 Ryde-Eastwood HawksMark O'ReillyKelvin Jeffes
1994 St Marys Saints32 – 14 Hills District BullsMark O'ReillyGraeme West
1995 Newtown Jets26 – 8 Wentworthville MagpiesCol MurphyMatt Hewitt
1996 Newtown Jets28 – 16 Ryde-Eastwood HawksCol MurphyDavid Jay
1997 Newtown Jets18 – 8 Guildford OwlsCol Murphy
1998 Wentworthville Magpies18 – 12 KellyvilleIan McCann
1999 Wentworthville Magpies30 – 22 Ryde-Eastwood HawksIan McCann
2000 Ryde-Eastwood Hawks24 – 10 St Marys SaintsDave Nugent
2001 St Marys Saints20 – 16 Sydney BullsTim O'BrienKelvin Jeffes
2002 Sydney Bulls44 – 10 Ryde-Eastwood HawksSteve GhosnRod Lawrence